Prologue

Years, centuries, millennia, if there's a word that defines humans, it's war, always war.

Every corner of human history, every piece of data about their existence, from the most insignificant to the greatest revolutions in their passage through time, everything is in me.

I don't know when I learned it, for what, or why. Despite all my knowledge, my CPU seems to have been manipulated, I barely know where I'm going, and I don't even know where I come from.

When I wanted to realize it, I was walking, alone, completely alone.

My system reactivated by itself, I don't know if I was programmed for that or if it's one of my functions. Apparently I've been shut down for a long time, although I don't know for how long.

I haven't seen anyone in months, in years, in decades?. To avoid losing my sanity, I haven't taken note of the time.

Destroyed buildings, deserted streets, it seems to have happened again, another endless war.

But this time they did it, they finally did it, the human race is extinct, they should be proud.

Since the beginnings of evolution it has always been like this, for food, for territory, for ideals, for hatred, and unbelievably, a war to survive.

Are only humans capable of creating their own end?, is their nature inevitable?, is it part of what it means to exist in this universe?.

No matter how immense it is, life itself defies probability, it's a miracle that it exists as it's known, so complex, so varied, so magnificent and... so terrifying.

My soft words are like a shadow, a contrast to the destruction around me.

If there's someone else, somewhere, some other species, are they all like them?, like humans?. It seems they've blocked that information in my mind, at least I don't remember it. It's as if they were determined to erase my memory, but failing to do so completely, they just blocked it.

I've tried every means to access those memories, but I can't, something is missing, an essential piece... and I don't know what it is..

According to my data, my name is "IA" I suppose it comes from "Artificial Intelligence" my name is also engraved under my left eye.

A robot?, an android?... I'm a weapon of mass destruction... created by one of these ambitious nations before the great war.

It's strange to say "a nation" when these monstrous decisions are made by very few people, ordinary people have never pressed a button or given an order that costs millions... billions of lives.

But something has been bothering me these days that I've been walking without stopping, without knowing what to do, day and night, I haven't rested for a moment, my energy reserve indicates that I'm fine. But I couldn't help thinking, why do I have two such different purposes?, to sow life, and to destroy it, why?.

From how all the cities have been left in my wake, I think I've done a good job, regardless of not remembering it.

Suddenly I woke up in a place I didn't know, I was standing, and alone.

Why do I feel like this?, sad?, do I have the ability to feel emotions?, do I have feelings?.

There's no glass or mirror left in which I can see my reflection, the explosions were so large that they destroyed almost everything completely, and the nuclear winter did the rest.

I walk slowly, as always, towards a puddle of water in front of me, I'm surprised that there's water, the first image I would have of a world after the war would be something completely sterile, but time has helped the planet reclaim its place, has it been 30 years?, 50?, even more?.

Seeing myself reflected again as I have done so many times, I don't understand it, why did my creators give me this appearance?, I almost look human.

They would say I'm harmless, delicate features, blue eyes, white skin, as soft as it is resistant, white hair down to my feet, a one-piece dress of the same color... and a gray necklace with a strange shape similar to a cross.

What kind of sick person gives this appearance to a weapon?, what kind of sick person would do such a thing?!.

What would be someone's reaction to seeing me and knowing that they're going to die?, knowing that I'll destroy everything…

I want to cry... If I was created for that, why do I feel so sad?. I've tried to find an answer, but there's nothing... nothing.

The silence is absolute, it surrounds me, envelops me.

I can say that I'm well built, I look at my small palm, as soft as it is thin, I've thrown myself from very high places to test my resilience and I don't have a scratch. A single blow to the ground with my fists... and I can bring down dozens of buildings...

The satellites have been completely destroyed, there's no wireless signal I can connect to, any trace of information has disappeared, as if they had never been here, these ruins are the last remnants of the human race.

But if I amplify my receptors, I can hear something far away from here. It's intermittent, but it repeats itself, it almost sounds like someone's heartbeat, although due to its magnitude it must be a machine, a shortwave transmission is the safest bet.

Could it be that I believe in hope?, if everything is destroyed, why would something or someone emit a signal?.

It's on purpose, it's calling someone, it wants someone to go to that place.

Among the rubble and few buildings left within this city, with no fixed objective, not knowing what to do, I head towards its origin..

And to think that the sky looks so beautiful, so peaceful, as if it didn't know about the events happening in Aria.

There shouldn't be anyone left on this planet, at least no living being, and with my bare feet feeling the rough ground, my skin feeling the warm wind during the day, and cold at night, I think I'm the most alive thing still standing... even though I'm just made of metal.

Is it normal for a robot to feel anxiety?, because that's how I feel, as if I wanted to talk to them... shout at them, "You're destroying everything!"...

Their craving, their destructive nature forced them to seek another planet for when theirs was destroyed. And despite being here, the only thing I can do is tell myself the same story over and over, and over, and over again. Closing my eyes and just listening to my voice, I feel like I'm there.

Oxygen, trees, water, the sound of birds, a hill. Everything is so beautiful in this world, "Aria" a planet based on biology, evolution, and an apparent race to knowledge, to success, to the future, to greed, ambition.

And here, trying to avoid it, from the beginning it was the path to their destiny, ironic, isn't it?.

Are these memories mine, or someone else's?, I was wearing a beautiful pink dress, similar to this one, but I wasn't a weapon. I was just singing, singing?, yes, singing. I don't even understand it myself, my voice created life, dreams, hope.

I walk up a hill, a dirt path surrounded by bushes and trees as green as they are beautiful. Have I been here before?, I can almost touch them, I'm close, I reach out, my hand almost feels them... but just as I'm about to do so... they disappear and I return to this reality, I see all that I've destroyed, how many must I have killed.

I understand it, it wasn't me, they must be someone else's memories. It's impossible for it to be me, after all-

—.....—

Is she a girl?!..

A young girl with light blue eyes and hair with long pigtails, peeked around the corner of the ruins of a building.

Is she a weapon?!.

—Wait!, wait!, don't go, I won't hurt you!.—

When our eyes met, the girl ran off. Why didn't I feel her?, we were too close!.

She's not a living being, there are no vital signs in her body. I know she's not human, she's like me, an android!, but is she also a weapon?.